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Geeking Out at Gen Con 2016

Hello Boardgaming Geeks! We are fast approaching Gen Con’s registration day and will thus be closing this tour for booking May 13th. If you are interested in hopping aboard please do so asap!

Teras

Geek Nation Tours is headed back to one of the largest and most prestigious gaming conventions in the world. That’s right – we are headed to Gen Con Indianapolis 2016! Gen Con has a long history of offering the very best in gaming conventions. Dive into every type of gaming imaginable – roleplaying games, card games, boardgames, tabletop games and computer games, just to mention just a few. They have even had Geek Speed Dating and a marathon…. Game to your heart’s content with old friends and the new ones you will meet.

Want to do some shopping or see what’s new in the gaming world? Are you interested in finding out about all the upcoming releases for the next year? Perhaps you would like to mingle with celebrities from the gaming world and see what they are working on. Maybe you want to pit your gaming skills against the best in the world or perhaps try out a few games that you have always wondered about. Gen Con is the best place in the world to do all these things. There will also be plenty of time to get some photos with cool Cosplay people or even wear a costume yourself!

Geek Nation Tours always makes sure there is plenty to do prior and during Gen Con, and 2016 will be no exception as we will continue to offer exclusive gaming opportunities. Each year our tour participants get to game with the people that design, develop and produce the games they love. In the past our tour participants have demanded “More Gaming” and this year we will supply just that! This year’s theme will be Dungeon Crawler games! So if you ever wanted to explore the depths of unknown caverns and pit your warrior’s skill or learned spell casting against those dwelling in the dungeons – this is the tour for you. We will focus on many Dungeon Crawler games with Mantic Games (Dungeon Saga), Cool Mini or Not (Arcadia Quest), Ninja Division (Super Dungeon Explore), Fantasy Flight Games (Descent & Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game), Smirk and Dagger (Cutthroat Caverns) and S2’s Dungeon Dwellers. Many of these crews will join us to explain their game’s mechanics and to roll dice right alongside us. We will even be headed off to the infamous True Dungeon for a session or two.

The Kentucky Fried Gamers crew will also be a large part of our “Dungeon Crawl” extravaganza and as a matter of fact we will be joining them and their membership before Gen Con even starts. If you ever wanted to be a part of the Gen Con community, this is your chance! You are sure to leave the tour with new gaming friends from all around the world. And if all goes well we will be joining the KFG crew on a Pub Hop Tuesday night. This way you can “have a few” with members of the Gen Con community, game and talk to like-minded people that love games just like you.

“We want more Fantasy gaming goodness!” you say? Geek Nation Tours will be doing something special this year. We have a hobby challenge for any that want to pick up a brush. We will be highlighting the awesome new miniature wargame Frostgrave throughout the tour. We will be bringing some Frostgrave terrain (supplied by Armorcast and painted by Ironheart Artisans) and you will have the opportunity to explore the frozen land in search of magical treasure every day while on our tour. We might even have a special guest come by… more on that as we get closer to Gen Con proper….

Are you a Gen Con newbie or a veteran? Both will appreciate Geek Nation Tours ability to make the registration process easier for all. While your 4-day Gen Con badge is included in the tour package, you will still have to register for events. To that end, we will be arranging a pre-registration conference call via Skype to help expedite the registration process and to help everyone choose the events they want. Are you slightly overwhelmed by the registration procedure? Not sure what to register for when the cart opens? Worried that you might be missing the very best in seminars or gaming opportunities? Let Geek Nation Tours ease your mind. We will be joined by the D6 Generation crew for our Pre-Registration Conference call, which will take place in the spring of 2016. Even before we arrive in Indianapolis, Geek Nation Tours will endeavor to make the Gen Con experience exceptional…

We will also be hosting our traditional “Welcome and How to Get the Best out of Your Gen Con” dinner. This year we will be joined by the crew of the D6 Generation Podcast and the Nerdherders (both Gen Con Veterans) as well as the Mantic Games crew. All will give us tips on how to best experience our convention. Further, we are proud to announce that we will be again handing out our Gen Con badges and event tickets! That’s right, no ticket pickup lines and no delivery costs for any items that are pre-registered for prior to June 15th! We will deliver them right into your eager hands. Our welcome dinners are always informative and loads of fun. They are great for newbies and veterans alike, and you are sure to leave with a smile on your face, a full belly and all the information necessary to get the most out of your Gen Con experience.

What!? Want more Fantasy gaming? Well we have another first for you on our 2016 tour. The Nerdherders AND the crew from the D6 Generation Podcasts will be not only joining us for our Welcome Dinner but will be running sessions of Dungeons & Dragons! This is a great way to get to know your fellow tour participants and have bragging rights on how many Orcs you were able to dispatch….

Still want more? After many requests Geek Nation Tours will include a meal a night and have super cool special guests and exclusive gaming every single night we are at Gen Con! Take a look at what we have planned for you below and be sure you join us for “The Best Four Days of Gaming”!

Tour Details:

Day 1 – Tuesday August 2nd

Tour members will be arriving throughout the day and everyone will have transportation arranged to take them directly to the hotel. A Geek Nation Tours representative will be waiting to greet you when you arrive. We will have a leisurely, relaxing free day to explore the area. Depending on your arrival time and your interests this can include taking in a couple of Indianapolis’ museums, which are just a short walk from the hotel (or of course gaming with those that have already arrived).

Join us in the evening as we get to know each other over dinner and even get a few games in with the gang from Kentucky Fried Gamers. The KFG crew is a huge part of the Gen Con community and we are happy to be partnering with them for some pre-Gen Con goodness. We will join them again this year to hop pubs as we hit a couple of Indianapolis’ most popular brewhouses! Our plans include dinning and gaming at the RAM and then moving to Scotty’s Brewhouse for some evening gaming. We may be adding a few more beer related stops – so visit this page for more information as Gen Con gets closer.

We will be staying at the beautiful JW Marriott just across the street from the convention itself.

Day 2 – Wednesday August 3rd

Today we will begin the day with some Dungeon Crawling gaming goodness! Our first exclusive gaming experience will be with the Mantic Games crew as we experience their recently release Dungeon Saga game. Ronnie Renton, the King Kahuna or Mantic Games, will be there himself to guide us on our Dungeon Saga adventure. One of your gaming group will take the role of the Evil Dungeon Overlord as he tries to crush the hero adventurers. Will you be a Barbarian, a steadfast Dwarf, a distance death dealing Elf or a magic wielding Wizard? Will you be able to thwart the plans of the evil Mortibris or will he succeed in his quest for obtaining the secret powers of Valandor?

But that will not be the end of the Gaming! – Geek Nation Tours has the whole day covered. Whatever your gaming preference – the Kentucky Fried Gamers crew will have a multitude of games on offer and you will be right there rolling dice with the Gen Con community. More details as we get closer to the date but you will have input on the games offered for this day. So sign up and get your game on!

In the evening, join us for Geek Nation’s Welcome Dinner, which takes place right at our hotel. It will be time to listen to our traditional guest speakers from the D6 Generation Podcast and the upstart competition for them the Nerdherders (who wanted first billing btw). Who knows – a battle of the podcasters may break out – clubs may be part of the show (or maybe we should rent Sumo Suits)!

But what would be a Geek Nation Tours Welcome dinner without gaming industry guests? The Mantic Games crew will join us again in the evening for dinner and a Q&A. They have tones of new games coming out in 2016 so be ready for loads of information and sneak peeks! Share a drink and mingle with the Podcast crews, game designers and the other tour participants to discuss all things Gen Con…

Geek Nation Tours is very proud to offer a new way to get us into the Gen Con spirit! Russ and Craig from the D6 Generation podcast and the crew of the Nerdherders have agreed to guide us through a Dungeons & Dragons RPG session! They will be Dungeon Mastering us as we prowl the depths of the darkest caverns in search for adventure… and loot. Loot is always good!

That’s not all though! Tonight we will be handing out your Gen Con weekend badges and event tickets so we will be ready to go once the convention begins! No Gen Con event ticket pickup line or postage fees – just roll out of bed on Thursday right into the con.

Day 3 – Thursday August 4th

As we will already have our badges, we will be able to jump right into the Gen Con goodness! At this point you will be ready for the spectacle that is Gen Con. If you have any questions at all, our Geek Nation representative will be there at the convention with you. As a matter of fact, he will even walk to the convention with you to ensure your Gen Con experience proceeds without a hitch. We will be starting off our Gen Con early as we head off to the opening ceremonies at 8:30 a.m. just outside the exhibit hall. Doors open at 10:00 am so be sure to bring a game!

Geek Nation Tours takes pride in getting people of like minds together to experience the finest in geeky events and our Gen Con tour will be no exception. We will meet each night to regale each other with our experiences, the games we played or saw, and to share other Gen Con “war stories”. Past Geek Nation participants agree that our nightly gatherings are a wonderful part of the convention experience – a time where you can get to know other geeks and maybe hear a great suggestion or two on what to do the following day. Not only that, you’ll be surrounded by a large and welcoming gaming community so you’ll have an opportunity to meet new friends and the time to discuss all those geeky things that you love. You can join us every night or you can do your own thing, it’s entirely up to you. Geek Nation Tours wants you to have the most freedom possible to “Geek Out”, so our meetings will be completely optional – you can come and go as you please. For those that can’t make the meals (because of a full gaming schedule) feel free to come later – and bring your dice – because we will have open gaming every night.

Tonight we will head out to one of our best loved restaurants for Brazilian Barbeque – Fogo de Chao! Eat until your belly is full and take in their beautifully cooked meats or sample their spectacular salad bar. We are very excited to have some very special guests tonight as will have the crew of the super awesome BoardGameGeek internet site come join us for a quick hello and perhaps even roll some dice with us… Here is a chance to see how BGG is operated and maybe give them a bit of thanks for perhaps the most important internet site for boardgame geeks.

After dinner we will head back as a group to hop into a session or two of True Dungeon. We will still have to grab tickets individually but we will plan our dungeon adventure as a group and test our skills as we experience one of the pinnacle of Gen Con gaming experiences! Many of us will then return to the hotel and perhaps get together to show off our miniatures and have a game of Frostgrave.

Day 4 – 6 – Friday August 5ththrough Sunday August 7th

You now have three days to completely geek out! You are free to experience Gen Con as you want, though there will always be a Geek Nation Tours representative on hand to deal with any questions or concerns you may have. Join a role playing game, demo a new boardgame, or get your picture taken with a cosplayer. Your schedule should be all set at this time but you can always choose to head off to Gen Con’s boardgame area to grab a game with some new friends. Lost your GNT companion? Don’t worry – you can always find his exact location just by texting him.

Prior to registration Geek Nation Tours will ask tour participants if they are interested in doing some gaming as a group. Many will be busy doing their own thing, but if you are interested be sure to sign up for any or all of these events. Some of the classics we did as a group in year’s past were D6 Gen’s “Play by Mob” event, and the famous “True Dungeon” – but even X-Wing had a huge following…

But those are the days…what about the nights, you ask? Well each night you will be treated to dinner on Geek Nation Tours and have awesome exclusive gaming experiences. Join Geek Nation Tours for four nights of social gaming, demos and prizes. Bring your own game or try one of the games we will bring as we will have a multitude of tables and free gaming space open for all! We will even have several gaming companies on the ropes for a short Q&A prior to hanging out and rolling some dice with us well into the evening.

Day 4 Friday August 5th

Tonight we return to the JW Marriott, freshen up and then have an evening with Cool Mini or Not featuring their now classic anime adventure dungeon crawl – Arcadia Quest. A well-loved favorite of many board gaming geeks – Arcadia Quest pits 4 teams of adventurers against a dungeon full of nasty monsters. All teams are on a quest to dethrone the vampire lord and save the day, but will also have to do battle with each other as well as the evil inhabitants of Lord Fang’s dungeon…

But that is not all! We will have a Cool Mini or Not representative to come and hang and game with us this night! He will talk about all things CMoN and roll dice with us all evening long!

As with every night however those not taking in Arcadia Quest will have guaranteed space for open gaming and another swing at this year’s hobby challenge game – Frostgrave…. We even have gotten word that Phil Smith (Games Manager for Osprey Publishing) and Christian Waters (Marketing Manager) will be visiting sometime during our Gen Con experience (most likely this night!) so make sure you have vanquished all the other wizards as you might be up against one of them… For this year’s Frostgrave Hobby Challenge Joseph McCullough himself, suggests those interested start painting up a warband including Wizard, Apprentice, Knight (mail armour, hand weapon, shield), Archer (leather armour, bow, dagger), Thug (hand weapon), Thug (hand weapon), Thief (dagger), Thief (dagger), and a Warhound. But really we want you to have fun with it so feel free to grab what you want and get ready to hit the streets.

We hope to have a growing list of guests this night but for now we are very excited about including Adam and Brady Sadler. Adam was the lead designer for the 2nd edition of Descent: Journeys in the Dark, while Brady served as a content developer and expansion designer (Lair of the Wyrm) for the Descent line (as well as Gears of War, Mansions of Madness, and Space Hulk: Death Angel – The Card Game). After leaving FFG, Adam and Brady collaborated on their first original design which became Warhammer Quest: The Adventure Card Game. In addition to designing games, Adam and Brady are also founders and members of the fantasy metal band Lorenguard, a band based on a series of fantasy novels by Brady.

What’s more Fantasy Flight Games has offered to give us a couple of 2014 Game Night Descent kits that we will be handing out to some lucky tour participants! So sharpen those swords everyone!

Geek Nation Tours will also invite podcasters to drop in this evening and so we hope we have another crazy night of rolling dice and mingling…

Day 6 Sunday August 7th

Tonight we will be getting together for our Farewell Dinner and yet another first for Geek Nation Tours! One last meal, a drink and a farewell to Gen Con, but also for the first time ever special guests at our Farewell Dinner! Ninja Division will be bringing their Japanese console RPG inspired dungeon crawler Super Dungeon Explore! Up to six players will take control of a chibi paladin, dwarf fighter, elf ranger or the Dungeon Boss himself. Grab treasure and spawn the Dungeon Boss to put a final end to the Dark Consul!

We will meet at the High Velocity lounge at 6:30pm and have open gaming until close. The meal is on GNT as well as the first hour of beers so make sure you grab a few when you are setting up your favorite game… No spilling though! We would hate to have the games get ruined!

Day 7 Monday August 8th

Today we will transfer to the airport and head home. The photos, memories and friends you made, even before hitting the convention, are yours to keep forever!

Thinking about coming in early? Geek Nation Tours can help you with all your travel plans. Whether you want to visit another part of the United States prior to your arrival in Indy or if you just want to relax a bit afterwards. Let us know your travel needs and we can make sure you get the experience you are looking for.

Booking Notes:

Already have your convention pass or hotel but want to hop aboard? No problem! Geek Nation Tours can remove those costs from the tour package for you.

Geek Nation Tours also takes care of the non-geek spouse with its Parallel Universes department. There is a lot to do in Indianapolis for non-geek spouses or those that want a break from the rarefied confines of Gen Con. So, if 4 full days of gaming is not your thing, our Geek Nation representative will be available to help coordinate excursions around the Indianapolis area. Whether it is finding a mall, visiting a museum or taking in a sporting event, we are sure we can find something for all those non-geek spouses or gamers just looking for a break.

What is included: Pre-Registration Conference Calls, All hotel nights and taxes (we will be staying at the JW Marriott Indianapolis), transfers to and from the airport, Gen Con 4-day badges, all dinners including the exclusive “How to get the best out of your Gen Con tour” Welcome Dinner and the GNT farewell dinner, Gen Con weekend pass and no line event ticket pick up, Exclusive Gaming Experiences, and Commemorative (and stylish) Gen Con shirt.

Single Occupancy Supplement: $684.00 USD+ $110.00 taxes based on single occupancy.

**Don’t have a friend to get the double occupancy rate? That is what Geek Nation Tours does! Book as a double occupancy and we will match you up a roommate… This way you get the best of both worlds – someone to BS about the con with – and more cash to spend!

Deposit:$500.00 Final due May 10th

Non-Geek Spousal Argument: “But there is tons to do in Indy for the whole family. Geek Nation Tours even has great non-geek spouse activities too!

Tour Photos

Testimonials

Cannot say enough about how fun – and well run – this tour was. I had been away from gaming for a few years and Teras made it easy to jump back in at the deep end. Adepticon was an absolute blast and the tour participants were great to hang out with. Looking forward to 2019!

Adepticon 2018Jeff B, USA

In a word, awesome. GNT takes all of the hassle out of your holiday, and your pre-convention experience. And that starts months BEFORE the tour itself. The hardest part about arranging a trip to Gen Con is the queues and reservations (for dinner, taxi’s, etc). With GNT it’s all taken care of before you get… Read more »